


Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Scene Expansion

by Witchy1ness



Category: Layton Kyouju vs Gyakuten Saiban | Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Genre: Game Spoilers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 08:18:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7525234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witchy1ness/pseuds/Witchy1ness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The part of the game where Phoenix, Luke, and Espella take refuge at the Tavern expanded into a story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Scene Expansion

**Author's Note:**

> Professor Layton and all related characters are the property of Level-5, and Phoenix Wright and all those related characters belong to Capcom. All italicized text (bold and none) is taken directly from the game, and not mine either! Sentences in non-italicized bold denote original thoughts.
> 
> After playing through this scene in the game, my muse hit me with a hammer and this practically wrote itself. 
> 
> Written in 2016.
> 
> Reviews and constructive criticism welcome, flames will be ignored.

Phoenix Wright couldn't recall the last time he’d felt so drained. He was sure he **had** before, at some point in his life, but damned if he could think of when. He flopped face down on the lower bunk, having hung his suit coat and tie over the finished statue that made up one hammock-post. He’d have **liked** to have taken his pants off too, but with a fourteen year-old boy and an eighteen year-old girl in the room, he’d denied the impulse. 

Groaning softly, he rolled onto his back, slinging an arm over his eyes as he squirmed to get comfortable on the thin and prickly mattress. 

**What is this thing stuffed with, anyway? Straw?**

Eventually, he stopped moving and began attempting to slow his breathing. 

**I think even my hair is tired….**

His stomach was starting to growl, but the events of the day had killed any appetite. In the semi-darkness of the room, the only sounds the breathing of the two kids and his thumping heartbeat, Phoenix could feel his tired eyes begin to burn for another reason entirely.

**_…Maya…_ **

His breathing became shallow and jagged as the horrific scene began playing behind his eyelids. His hands clenched so tightly he could feel his nails digging into his palms, but Phoenix barely noticed the pain over the remembered roaring of the flames, and the terror that washed through him as he struggled, helplessly pinned by the knights while his best friend screamed his name and begged him to help her. That last look on Maya’s face before she was sealed away in that god-awful iron maiden, and then…and then- 

**_…if only…I’d been able…to save you….It never would have come to this…_ **

The guilt churned inside of him, followed by waves of grief and anger every time the scene replayed. Every viewing drove the guilt and grief and anger further up his throat, until he began to half-fear he’d physically choke on it- 

**Enough!**

Phoenix drew a shuddering breath at the voice that sounded suspiciously like Mia. She appeared in his mind’s eye, looking exactly the way he’d last seen her, after his first case win.

**That, she told him in firm tones, is enough of that. There was nothing you could do to help Maya, Wry. You were outnumbered, overpowered, and your opponent knows how to work the system of this crazy world better than you do. You’ve got other people depending on you now, and you’ll be of no help to them like this. You don’t have the luxury to grieve right now; you’ve got a case to focus on!**

She was right. Espella needed him now, to prove her innocence (again). And Luke…Luke needed him too; the – death? – of the Professor was an awful load for such a young boy to carry.

 **Right. It’s time to get to sleep then. We’re gonna have a busy day tomorrow….** He took a deep, measured breath, shoving all his churning emotions into the back of his mind as he concentrated on just his heartbeat.  
………  
………  
………  
**_…Just great. I should be ready to pass out right now…But I just can’t fall asleep._**

Phoenix groaned quietly as he dragged his hands down his face. **_I’m a little thirsty…Maybe I should go grab some water._**

He leaned over to quietly grab his shoes – or he tried to, at least. What with the rustling mattress, creaking bed frame, and groaning floorboards when he finally made it out of the bunk – not to mention when he tripped over damn near **everything** \- he was honestly surprised the kids didn’t wake up.

He waited until he was outside the room to put his shoes on, having given up on trying to close the door quietly when he realized it didn’t quite line up with the doorframe. 

**Although** , he thought wryly to himself as he began to descend the stairs, **with the way my stomach’s been growling, I’m surprised they could even get to sleep in the first place.**

A glance over the railing revealed a surprisingly deserted bar. It wasn’t that late at night, but the only sounds Phoenix could hear were his growling stomach, his footsteps on the stairs and the creaking of the ominously swaying chandelier. 

**_It looks like the party is over. Everyone must have gone home by now…I’ll just grab some water and head back to the room._ **

So lost in thought was he that Phoenix jumped nearly a foot in the air when Rouge suddenly appeared from a darkened doorway behind the bar.

 _“What’s up? Can’t get to sleep?”_ The red-headed bar owner cocked an eyebrow as she picked up a rag and began wiping down the bar. 

Phoenix slumped onto the lone chair pushed backwards up against the bar, resting his crossed arms and his chin on the back. 

_“…Yeah. I’m absolutely beat, but I just can’t keep my eyes shut.”_

_“Hm…you don’t say?”_ She said nothing more, just continued to slowly wipe concentric circles across the split wood of the bar top. 

He gave himself a physical shake as he glanced back over the room, _“It looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you cleaning up this place. Do you need a hand?”_

Rouge snorted, _“Nah, it’s fine. The house rule is: “you make a mess, you clean it”._ She crossed her arms. _“But those dummies couldn’t keep their eyes open. I’ll make ‘em clean up in the morning.”_

Phoenix blinked. _“Huh? So, hasn’t everyone gone home?”_

Rouge smirked. “I couldn’t exactly let them go home in that state, so I shoved them all upstairs for the night.” She went back to wiping down the bar. _“This is both their home and shelter. I mean, don’t tell me you can’t hear their loud snoring from down here….”_

“Uhhh…" Phoenix sweatdropped **_…And here I thought that was my stomach growling this whole time…_**

Rouge tossed the rag aside and popped her hands on her hips, _“…So? You must have come down here for something, right?”_

He blinked again, and then nodded. _“Oh yeah…that’s right. I came down for a glass of water.”_

Rouge eyed him consideringly. _“Hm…all right. But, you’ll have to earn it first.”_ She smirked and crossed her arms again. _“You win at my game and I’ll get you any drink you want. On the house.”_

Phoenix nervously scratched his cheek. _“Did you say…game? Um…what kind of game?”_

He nearly tumbled off his chair when Rouge drew the dagger strapped to the right side of her waist. His alarmed shout caught in his throat when she proceeded to toss the dagger up, spin around, and then catch it again in her other hand as easily as he picked up his morning coffee. She brandished it in his direction, and he couldn’t stop himself from flinching. 

_“…SILENCE!”_

Phoenix found himself on his feet before he’d even realized he’d moved. **_Whoa…now that…was totally unexpected…._**

Completely at a loss, he cast a sheepish look at the woman still brandishing the dagger in his face. _“U-um…I’m really sorry…If I said something wrong…”_ he scratched his head, hoping he looked defenseless instead of pathetic.

Rouge winked and tsked, _“Now, don’t you go getting the wrong idea. I only drew this knife…to use in this puzzle I’ve made for you!”_

And saying so, she walked over to a table along the back wall of the tavern, slamming it point down into the top. Flicking a quick glance at her, Phoenix warily approached the table.

As he drew near, it became obvious the table was used for this specific purpose. He took in the multitude of identical daggers thrust into the surprisingly shiny and smooth-looking checkerboard tabletop. Casting another glance at Rouge for permission – she gestured impatiently – he ran his fingertips along the edge, carefully avoiding the daggers’ edges.

It was as smooth as it looked, and when he looked up from his perusal to ask her about it, the tavern owner was standing on the opposite side of the table, brandishing a large chalice. 

“Here’s the challenge, tiger. You need to get this chalice-“ she hefted the item in her right hand, “- from me to you, without having it go crashing off the table. Every time it hits a dagger, it changes direction. And if it hits one of the other chalices-” she gestured to two identical chalices nearer his side of the table that were full of a suspicious green liquid, “-it’ll stop and send the other chalice moving. And you really don’t want to drink what’s in those other chalices.” 

Phoenix felt a little green himself when he flicked another glance at the chalices, but bent to take a closer look at the table anyway. Now that he was looking for it, he could see that the table was covered with scuff marks and evenly spaced X marks, and that every dagger was placed in an X, slotted one way or the other. 

“So, that means…I have to change the angle of some of the daggers…?” 

Rouge smirked, “Or all of them.” 

To illustrate, she sent the chalice sliding. It hit the first dagger, and then went flying off the table. 

**Well, damn it.**

“And you only get one chance,” she added. 

“What?!” he blurted out. 

“What’s the matter?” she taunted. “Is this puzzle too much for you, Sir Apprentice Baker?” 

Phoenix bristled, scowling at the challenge radiating from the smug tavern owner.

 **“No,”** he grit out, and turned to seriously study the table. He walked around it, muttering to himself, as he angled daggers this way and that. He traced some paths with his hands, eyed others, and by the time he thought he had it, he’d turned nearly all the daggers on the table. 

He mentally ran through his set-up half a dozen times before he was satisfied with it, and then turned to the woman, who’d been lounging nearby.

“You sure?”

Phoenix smirked, and gave a theatrical wave of his hand towards the table. “See for yourself.”

Rouge leisurely stood and walked over to eye the table herself. One eyebrow rose as she took her place on the diagonal corner from where he stood. “Well, well,” she murmured. “Maybe you aren’t a **complete** lost cause….” She grinned challengingly at him, “But I guess we’ll find out for sure, hey?” And then, without breaking eye contact, she sent the chalice sliding. 

Despite his desperate need to watch the chalice, Phoenix kept eye contact with the redhead. He caught glimpses of it in his peripheral vision, and his ears tracked the sweet clinks and chimes as the chalices moved around the table. When the dull slide of a chalice near him reached his ears, he didn’t even glance down before raising it to his lips. 

**Cranberry juice?! Damn that’s tart!**

Despite his relief – and slight pucker – at the drink of choice, he drained the chalice before setting it down with a **thunk.**

Rouge was frowning severely at him, and Phoenix could feel a sheepish grin stretch across his face.

Rouge shook her head and removed her dagger from the table, flipping it flashily before re-sheathing it. _“Heh. Not too shabby, tiger.”_ She crossed her arms. _“Well, a promise is a promise. You can have any drink you want, no charge. Refills included. Just say the word.”_

Phoenix felt his shoulders relax. _“Thank you…I think I’ll take you up on that offer…”_

He followed her back to the bar, retaking his seat as she poured him his drink. _“You earned it, y’know. Never saw anyone around these parts take down a puzzle like that so fast.”_

Phoenix gave her another sheepish grin as he took the mug she handed him, _“Ah ha. It was pure luck, trust me. If you want a puzzle expert, Luke is the one to talk to.”_

Rouge’s eyes narrowed in concentration, _“Oh? You mean that sharp-looking kid, right? You know, for someone so young, he’s got a good head on his shoulders, that one. It looks like he’s been through a lot…”_

He couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped him as he nodded. _“Yeah…he sure has.”_ He studied the barrels behind the bar unseeingly. _“He seems to be in good spirits, but…deep inside he must be hurting really bad. He just lost someone very dear to him…But he’s trying so hard to hide it.”_

Rouge propped her hands on her hips and cocked her head, but said nothing. 

Phoenix continued softly, _“Then there’s Espella…She had a new accusation thrown at her and is again at risk of being burned alive. And…Maya…I can’t stop thinking how her death was completely my fault…”_

He buried his face in his hands. _“That’s why I need to be stronger…But I can’t. I just feel so…hopeless.”_

His fingers tightened painfully in his hair, _“I’m the only one who can protect Luke and Espella.”_

Phoenix’s shoulders slumped, and he dragged his hands down his face, clenching one around his mug and the other into a fist. _“…But I’m scared. I’m scared that what happened to Maya will happen again…”_ he trailed off thickly. 

He didn’t even know why he was telling this woman – this complete **stranger** – everything, but once he started, the words just poured out of him, the relief of being able to tell **someone** quickly overshadowed by the aching void they left behind. 

_“…Maya, huh?”_ Rouge rested her arms on the bar. _“I caught wind of what happened today in court. She seemed…very important to you,”_ she said quietly.

Phoenix couldn’t answer that, couldn’t **bring** himself to answer that. Instead, he drew himself up, and gave her a nod he hoped came across as more together than he felt. _“I’m…all right. I’m just…not sure I can protect those two.”_

He sighed, his shoulders slumping again. _“More than that…I just don’t want to think I might fail them.”_

 _“I think…”_ Rouge began slowly, _“…you’re just telling yourself what you want to hear.”_

Phoenix stared at her. _“Huh?”_ he managed eventually, _“What do you mean?”_

Rouge leaned forward, bringing her face to within inches of his, _"I think…”_ she repeated slowly, _“…the words coming out of your mouth right now are downright selfish.”_

He could only stare at her in shock. _“H-hey, what are you…”_

She stepped back, slashing her hand through the air, _“Have you taken a second to step back from your wallowing and think how worried they must be about you right now?”_ She shook her head. 

Phoenix swallowed hard and stared at the bar top, tracing an old condensation ring with his finger. He didn’t have to look up to know Rouge was scowling at him over her crossed arms.

 _“So it’s hopeless, huh? Do you think those kids are hopeless too? Pssh, don’t make me laugh! You wanna see hopeless?”_ She demanded. _“That’s easy. Just take a look in the mirror.”_

He physically recoiled from her words, swallowing hard at the bile that had risen in his throat as she talked. She swooped down again, pushing her clenched fist in front of his face. _“How do you expect to protect those two if you can’t even manage to get a hold of yourself?”_

 _“I-I…”_ he clenched his own fists on top of the bar, looking up at her beseechingly, struggling to find the words – **any** words – to describe the roiling emotions that battered his mind. 

Rouge slashed her hand through the air once more, before her face softened and she leaned on the bar across from him again. _“…It’s okay. I get it.”_ She spoke softly, though her blue eyes were still hard. _“You had some really…really rough stuff happen to you today. Unimaginably sad, emotionally trying stuff.”_

The fight drained out of him, and Phoenix bowed his head over his suddenly slack hands. 

Rouge huffed and placed her hands on her hips. _“That’s why the first thing you need to do…is just accept it. Accept it all. The sadness, the remorse…everything. Honestly, I don’t blame you for expressing just how hard this whole situation has been on you. Who could?”_

Phoenix didn’t answer, just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, _“…I…”_

He dropped his hand and glared at the bar owner, anguish written in every line of his body. _“I can never forgive myself for letting this happen…”_

Phoenix took a shaky breath, ashamed to feel tears pricking his eyes. _“I couldn’t do anything…”_ another breath and grief was replaced with a wash of anger, his voice rising, _“…not a single thing! I did nothing to help Maya at all…”_

He glared angrily at the tavern owner, ignoring the small part of his mind that scolded him for going off on the innocent woman. _“Maya…She gave her own life to save Espella! If only I’d been quicker…If only I could’ve done something…Maya would still be…”_ the anger was gone as quickly as it had appeared, leaving him to quietly trail off, _“…She’d still be here by my side…”_

He pressed the heels of his hands to his burning eyes, voice muffled, _“It’s all my fault…”_

Rouge regarded the grieving man in front of her silently. She hadn’t been entirely truthful with the defender earlier, when she’d told him she’d heard about what had gone down in court. She’d actually been there in the gallery, watching the tragic events unfold. She’d seen him bravely (if ineffectively) tackle the knight manning the cage controls, and how he struggled against the knights restraining him. Regardless of whatever his relationship to the girl in the cage was, Rouge admired his guts.

She watched Phoenix’s shoulders tremble, and she briefly debated placing a hand on his shoulder. But Rouge wasn’t a woman of soft touches and comfort. She’d fought and struggled for everything in her life, and was more inclined to give someone a kick in the ass than a comforting hug. 

Sighing soundlessly, she picked up a dirty mug, and busied herself with cleaning up the bar. Rouge didn’t know if he’d take any comfort from her presence, but that was all else she could offer him.

Besides - she flicked her eyes briefly above her, having heard the tell-tale creak of the balcony boards – she thought she’d said enough for the evening. 

**PLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPW**

Above the bar, Luke Triton soundlessly clenched the railing supports, crouched miserably behind a tattered red cloth that may have been either an effort at décor or someone’s laundry. His mind was churning, the conversation he’d overheard – **a gentleman never resorts to eavesdropping, Luke** – tangling up with the thoughts and feelings that had driven him from a semi-restful slumber in search of a drink of water. 

He was so lost in his own misery the surprised gasp from behind him nearly sent him headlong through the railing in surprise. 

_“…Oh, Luke. What are you doing here?”_

Luke twisted around, shock making him miss her soft query and quietly blurting out one of his own, _“Ah…Espella. What are you doing up at this time?”_

She gave him a sad smile, _“I couldn’t sleep. I thought I’d just get a glass of water….”_

She stepped forward, curious to see what held his attention over the railing. Luke hissed frantically, tugging her down beside him and holding a finger to his lips. 

Espella looked at him strangely, before carefully peeping over the edge of the red cloth. _“Huh? Who’s that over there? Is that…Miss Rouge and Mr Wright?”_

She craned her neck, and Luke had a sudden premonition of what the nice-but-scary-looking tavern owner would do if she caught a couple kids eavesdropping on her conversation with Mr. Wright. A brief memory of the dagger at the bar-owner’s waist had him grabbing Espella’s elbow with one hand and reaching for the doorknob with the other, careful to keep his voice down. 

_“Uh…Hey, we should head back to bed, Espella! We have an early start tomorrow, after all!”_

The look the girl cast him mingled understanding with fondness, and she offered no resistance. 

She nodded, _“Mmm. You’re right.”_

Luke carefully didn’t quite push her back through the door, but he hesitated on the threshold, gaze cast downwards, as if he could see the figure slumped over the bar through the worn boards. 

_“Mr Wright…”_ he whispered miserably, clutching the doorknob. He gave one shaky breath, swiped his free hand over his eyes, and strode determinedly back to bed. 

**PLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPW**

Phoenix eventually came enough out of his emotional spiral to draw a deep breath and lock gazes with the redheaded owner who, he wasn’t surprised to note, was still at the bar, quietly cleaning.

He was so emotionally empty it took two tries before he could say, _“U-um…Rouge, I just wanted to thank you…You know, for hearing me out.”_

Rouge flipped a towel over her shoulder and waved a hand negligently before placing her hands on her hips. _“Pfft, no need for formalities. We did just share a puzzle, after all. Anyways, go on and get some rest. Something tells me you’ll need it.”_

Phoenix nodded slowly as he rose from his chair. _“Okay, I’ll do just that…Good night, Rouge.”_

The tavern owner merely hmmed noncommittally in response, _“…Night.”_

He was surprised when he got back to the nearly dark room and heard a soft voice call out his name. He waited until he’d carefully made it back to his bed before responding, _“Oh…sorry, Luke, did I wake you up? ...Is Espella still asleep?”_

He heard a slight rustling as the boy shifted in his hammock, _“Yup. She’s out like a light. She must have been really tired.”_

Phoenix nodded automatically, though there wasn’t enough light coming in through the cracks in the door to let Luke see the motion. _“Yeah…”_ He sighed as he stretched back out on the bunk. 

_“Um…Mr Wright?”_

_“Hm?”_ Phoenix responded drowsily. 

_“Starting tomorrow…I’m going to give 110…no, 210 per cent!”_

The attorney’s eyes flew open and he turned his head in the direction of the boy’s voice. _“Wh-whoa! Where’d that come from all of a sudden?”_

Luke’s voice, already soft in deference of the sleeping Espella, grew even quieter. _“I…just want to help you stay focused, Mr Wright.”_

Phoenix felt his throat close with shame as the boy’s words reminded him of what Rouge had told him only a brief time ago - **_“Have you taken a second to step back from your wallowing and think how worried they must be about you right now?”_**

_“Luke…”_

Oblivious to the balm he’d provided to the man’s roiling emotions, Luke continued blithely, _“I’m sure with Espella and me on your side, we can take on anything that comes our way! There’s no puzzle out there tough enough to stop the likes of us!”_

Phoenix managed a dry laugh, _“Ha ha. No puzzle too tough, huh? That sure sounds like the Luke I know.”_

 _“Ah ha…I guess it does, huh?”_ Luke’s laugh sounded no better, but Phoenix felt a little bit of the void inside him fill. 

_“Luke…”_ he said gently, _“…you’ve really helped me get back on my feet. I can definitely see why you’re the professor’s apprentice.”_

Luke’s “That I am!” sounded almost normal, and the man continued, determination slowly bleeding back into his voice, _“Let’s give it our best, Luke. As an ace attorney and an ace apprentice.”_

“Right you are!” Luke affirmed, and he couldn’t help but grin. 

_“All right, so…what do you say we get some rest, huh?”_

_“…I’m all for that! Good night, Mr Wright.”_

_“Good night, Luke.”_

The room grew quiet again as Phoenix rolled over to face the wall, and he was asleep before he was even aware of it. 

**PLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPWvsPLvsPW**

Surprisingly, Phoenix felt better than he was expecting the next morning. Grief for Maya, while still there, was carefully placed aside so that he could focus on the people who needed his attention the most. 

They had a firm plan in mind – even if Luke’s revelation of the parade being **today** instead of in two weeks had damn near given him a heart attack – and surely **someone** had to know something that could help them free Espella once and for all from these horrific accusations. Bardly and Cutter were of no use (except as distractions for Luke), but surely someone in the marketplace would be.

Rouge’s camouflaged offer to help hide Espella had taken a rather surprising load off his shoulders, as she neatly took care of a concern Phoenix hadn’t been aware he’d been carrying. 

Espella, for her part, had looked so disappointed that the attorney had hastened to reassure her. The teen had acquiesced rather unhappily, but even she couldn’t help but smile at Luke’s pronouncement of _“The ace attorney and ace apprentice are on the case!”_

Rouge had crossed her arms and smiled at the both of them, _“You can let me take care of Espella. It’s best you two focus on your investigation.”_

Phoenix returned the smile, _“Thanks a lot, Rouge.”_

The redhead raised an eyebrow and uncrossed her arms as she leaned closer and said tauntingly, _“Heh… Well now, someone looks happier than a kid in a candy shop.”_

He could feel the tips of his ears turn red as he scratched the back of his neck, _“A-ah ha ha…Well, I have you to thank for that.”_

Of course, the exchange had caught Luke’s attention. “Hm? What do you mean, Mr Wright?” 

**Damn it, why does he have to be so sharp some times?** The attorney gave an awkward cough, _“I-it’s nothing.”_

Luke stared at him with a puzzled look on his face, and Phoenix felt his stomach drop to his shoes as the tavern owner smirked at him. 

He’d hoped to distract the boy with another puzzle, but the woman had foiled his plans again by insisting that it was only for grown-ups. And then when he’d solved it and she’d explained why….

He’d nearly thrown the boy out the door in an effort to stop any more questions. 

And now, as they stood on the outskirts of the bustling marketplace, Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney, and Luke Triton, Ace Apprentice, exchanged glances before plunging into the swirling crowd. Somewhere here they **would** find clues about the Legendary Great Witch Bezella, and they **would** prove their friend’s innocence. 

It was, after all, a gentleman’s duty.


End file.
